Effect of Plant-Mycorrhizal Fungi on Plant Water Uptake and Chlorophyll Content

Abstract

Premise of the study: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal interactions with plants can affect certain plants’ physiology by influencing how they absorb nutrients from the soil as well as the subsequent effects on plant growth and health.  

Methods: We conducted an experiment using two species of grasses, Bromus inermis and Elymus canadensis, to determine whether (1) the presence of mycorrhizal inoculum affects plant chlorophyll content and water uptake, (2) the soil type (natural or sterilized) affects plant chlorophyll content and water uptake, (3) the soil treatment has any affect with relation to the presence of mycorrhizal inoculum.
Key Results: Across samples there appeared to be no significant correlation between inoculum treatment and mean chlorophyll content. There was; however, a significant correlation between soil treatment and mean chlorophyll content, for both species, favoring sterilized soil treatment. For water uptake only Elymus canadensis showed any significant correlation between inoculum treatment/ soil treatment and mean water uptake. The results suggest and increased water uptake in plants that were planted in sterilized soil, with the most water content belonging to the plants with inoculum added.
Conclusions: The presence of mycorrhizal inoculum has no affect on chlorophyll content in either species of plant; however, mycorrhizal inoculum does play a significant role in the uptake of water by Elymus canadensis suggesting that different species of plants react more positively in the presence of mycorrhizal inoculum.